Thursday, January 26, 2012

DOT...DOT DOT...DOT & A CUP CAKE

I love Polka Dots, any color!
I like them in Pink...Details here.
I like them in black...
And I really love them in RED!

So tonight I used my red polka dot plates, and bowls.
The bowls are from CTS and were marked down to $1.00
The runners are from Pottery Barn Outlet, an after Christmas bargain a few years ago. The polka dot salad plates are from PB Outlet too.
I love these red square plates with a wavy edge. I got them on line from Pfaltzgraff during one of their Dollar Day Sales, and yes, they were $1.00. I had bought the salad plates during the summer for 1.00, so when I saw the dinner plates, I jumped on it! I ordered 24, as I thought they would be great for a Christmas buffet, and July 4th.
Unfortunately, 4 of them arrived broken, and more unfortunately, Pfaltzgraff didn't reserve any to replace damages. Not good!
A white charger from Noritake, and a small white plate from the Gibson sets so many of us have.
White flatware from Walmart.
A little pail filled with carnations is the centerpiece, perched on a polka dot cake stand from CTS. It had a little missing paint which I fixed. I paid .29 for it!
These polka dot casserole dishes were one of my extreme scores at Cmas Tree Shops. They were in clearance, just put out, 90 % off.
You don't want to know what I paid! You do??? 59 cents, in perfect condition. I got squares too.
The candlesticks are by Villeroy and Boch, stems by Dansk, and bread plate hearts are from Michael's, marked down to .25
I still have another dotty table brewing.I think I will wait for Spring for that one!

Jacqueline at Purple Chocolate posted the cutest little cupcake baked in a silicone cupcake mold that came with a saucer. They are adorable!
I googled where to get them, but decided it was too pricey for as often as I would use it.
I thought about the cups that came with the Cambridge set, and I figured I would give it a try. Make your batter, whatever recipe you like, or even a box mix. Pour it IN the greased cup, don't fill too high, it will rise.
Bake it at 350.
After it cooled I piled fresh strawberries on top of the cake.
I whipped some heavy cream, and piped it on top.
DH was very happy to try my experiment!
I think these would be lovely to serve at a luncheon. Or a chicken pot pie baked in them too.
DH said he would eat it again, isn't he a sport? :)
Pick up that spoon and dig in!
Thanks for visiting. If you would be so kind to take the button on my sidebar, for the 4th Annual St. Patrick's Day Blog Crawl, I would appreciate it! ♣
Joining Susan for Tablescape Thursday
Diann for Thrifty Friday
Gollum for Foodie Friday
The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sundays Cozy Homes Scenes

I was wearing a black and white polka dot top yesterday. I would have fit right in at your table and would have happily tried your experiment too. The dots just make me smile and the prices you are getting make me smile even more.

Love, love, love all your dots! I am now your newest follower :) Gotta watch you to find the good sales and see all the great dotty tables! Can't wait to attempt the cupcake. So pretty, thanks for sharing.

I'm having chest pain...seriously! This is polka-dot HEAVEN!!!!!!!! I am sooooo jealous of all the wonderful bargains you find, Kathleen. Can I just give you my credit card number & have you shop for me????? Too bad shipping is so dang expensive.

Too cute! Great job! Love the centerpiece! I love polka dots too but I sure never find deals like you did! What is CTS? I love you idea for the cups and cake! You did a wonderful job on those! Those are "real cupcakes" !!

You put the cup in the oven?!??!?!! Seriously?!??!! And it didn't break? Wow....just....wow!!! I would NEVER have thought of that! I would just assume that it would crack or break into flames or something. Wow!!! CUTE table, and just so you know, I am going to inbox you my address so you can send me ALL the pink table stuff. I want the tablecloth and the plates and the placemats and the napkins...everything!!!

I adore this table!! I have always loved polka dots, even in clothes. :)

Years ago, when I was young and slim, I had a favorite dress that I wore to work. Your tables reminded me of it. It was soft gray with pale pink polka dots with a small round collar and matching belt. My friend said it looked like an "I Love Lucy" dress. :)

I love all the polka dot elements on your table, but for some reason, my favorite is the white napkins tied up with the red and white dotted ribbon.

Kathleen, I'd be happy to sit at any of your polka-dotted tables! The red and white one is just so adorable! I also loved Jacqueline's teacup dessert -- brilliant idea to use oven-safe teacups! Your version turned out so pretty -- and sounds like it was tasty, too!

Hey Kathleen...fixing one of the recipes for supper tonight....the quiche I think. I adore all your polka dots. Have always loved "dots"! And your tablescape is fabulous!! It never occurred to me to bake something in a teacup. What a fabulous idea to utilize if you are having a tea party especially for little girls. Putting that one in my files. ox

I agree, when I saw how much the silicone cups were, I was surprised that I had paid that much, but I was on vacation! (That's my excuse and I am sticking to it!) But this works just as well. I used my bakeable cups a while back for a flourless chocolate cake too. I can't believe how cute yours look! There is something magical about individual serving sizes isn't there?

I adore the red polka dot runners and I can't believe you got the bowls for such a bargain. I love polka dots too, but don't have any red and they are fabulous!

Kathleen, you have the most wonderful assortment of china...the polka dots are just so fun and yet can be so elegant in the setting that you have...

i have always been afraid to place my china in the oven..but makes sense when the temps are higher when they are produced. I am definitely going to try those teacup cupcakes..a great idea for my granddaughters upcoming tea party!!..

What a great polka dot collection you have! And those dots go with everything! I love them all but my favorite is the yellow and black. You get the greatest deals at CTS. How often do you go? Do you have an "in" with the markdown people? Thanks for sharing and showing us a wonderful table done on a budget!

One set of polka dot dishes--GREAT; THREE sets?! and more--out of this world!! What a fun, fun, fun post! I immediately fell in love with the pink and I would love it best, but...no...there was more beautiful fun stuff! Love it all, Kathleen! What a fun collection of dishes you have, and I love your sharing the bargain prices! My mother has always said that if people don't have nice things to set a table it's because they don't want it, not because they can't afford it--you've proven that point!! Thanks for a really fun post! And baking in the teacup?! Where, oh where do you get your ideas/nerve?! I've served dessert in teacups but would never have tried baking in them! Will now! :) Thanks! ~Zuni

Kathleen, love seeing all your dots! I'm one who is crazy for dots, stripes, and plaids. ;-)I have those little cupcake cups, but wish I had thought to use a real cup. Didn't realize I could bake in one. Thanks for sharing these tables. Fun, fun, fun. ~ Sarah

Did a search for your red square wavy plate...didn't find it, but I'll keep my eyes open. I've told you previously how much I adore your world of polka dots...and the cupcake in the cup is amazing! I must give that a try. DId you put the cup on a cookie sheet while it was in the oven? This is one of my favorite ideas in a long time! Thank you for inviting us to the table. Cherry Kay

What a steal on those dotted dishes, Kathleen. I have blue and white ones but I sure paid a lot more than that. Lucky you for having CTS by you. Your tables are all so pretty. My favorite is the pink one, so sweet!...Christine

Forgot to mention that I love your tea cup dessert. I have the silicone ones, and my rationale for buying them was they "matched" my white Vietri dishes that Joe got me for Christmas this year.

It's hard for me to make time to comment on Thursday evenings since you know I take my mom to choir practice. And since I work all day, I preferred being able to link up to TT on Wednesday evening and get some comments posted. I'll have to figure this out!

I'm looking for a few more heart shaped items (maybe salad plates) for next year, and I haven't been able to find any. I cannot believe the deal you found at Michael's. I don't think I shop enough. I am going to check them out after Valentine's this year though.

Thank you for sharing your super adorable tables. I came by after you left a great comment on our blog. I see we did similar things to make breakfast more Valentine's-y. Great minds, right?

Hi lovely lady.Your Tablescapes are beautiful with the red and white !! I love your Gorgeous dishes and the way you have put this all together.Thanks so much for your lovely comments on my 2011 Tablescape for Valentine's day. I hope you and your family have a wonderful weekend. I'am going to put a new Tablescape on this Sunday for Valentine's hope you come see me.XXOO Diane

Very clever idea! I believe your tablescape has me seeing dots and the red and white colors are perfect for Valentine's. All the different places you found your great dot dishes and accessories wow at such a bargain. We will be looking forward to the next dots this Spring for the green color. A very Happy Table and a Happy Happy Tablescape to you! Pam

I love polka dots as well...along with checks, plaids and stripes....Your CTS buys are killing me that we don't have one here in Atlanta..ofcourse I would go broke and how many bowls do you really need....Wait, you can never have too many bowls!!I just saw those silicone tea cups and your right too pricey...I think they were $20 for 4....that's a bit much....I like your idea much better..have a great weekend...

Well, isn't that just about the cheeriest table ever -- you know me and red! Love polka dots too, they just make me happy. Just want to say that you are a BRAGGART -- you get the "bestest" deals! Love the little polka dot casserole dishes and also the wavy red plates -- so fun and different and all for one dollar. Fun! Joni

Absolutely love all the polka dots, you have the coolest pieces and everything melds together perfectly. Great idea of the cupcake in the cup..makes it look so much prettier for a dessert presentation.

I'm just getting here. Nothing like being late. I love this red polka dot table in a huge way, and I'm definitely going to try that teacup cake. That's a marvelous idea. I am next up to host my luncheon club so I might try it then. If not, I think I will figure out a small recipe and make it for the husband for a treat.

You are the queen of polka dots, Kathleen! I absolutely love the pink! I just don't see the big bargains at our CTS, Evah! maybe I should start weekly visits- they're next door to Tar-jay, one of my favorite stores. and I'm there often enough. LOL. I have a muffin recipe that I microwave in coffee mugs. Not quite as attractive as your yummy looking cupcakes, though! Ha ha

I LOVE this red and white polka dot table! I have a few of the CTS polka dot casserole dishes as well. (clearanced of course!). And I would have bought those red square plates in a heart beat too! I need to check out the online Pfaltzgraff! thank you for joining TTF and have a great week!

Kathleen, you set an excellent table. I think my comment about layers and layers works equally well for setting a table that looks this lovely. You really scored big with so many of your finds. I visit the Christmas Tree Shop at least twice a year and have never seen the polka dotted casserole dishes. ;>

What a great idea for serving an individual strawberry shortcake!! Your husband is a sport for checking those out for us!

You asked how I'm enjoying the oven, come and see. I've got to give up the baking that's all I can say...

Polka dots always make me smile because they are such a happy and fun design. All your table settings are pretty, but being a pink girl, the pink table is my favorite. You got some really great deals on all your new polka dot dishes.

I should not have looked at this post when I was hungry, because your dessert in the cup made my mouth water!

Thanks so much for sharing this at my party. I appreciate you participating each week!

Boy, that was a treat. So many beautiful tables in one post. Great eye candy for us dish addicts.I especially loved the red one with the wavy salad plates. BTW I wish we had a Christmas Tree Store.Did you actually bake the cake in the tea cup? I guess one would have to make sure it was oven proof. It turned out so pretty. Blessings, Ginger